Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey Guys,

I've got a serious mite problem with one of my Chucks. I've tried every off the shelf mite killer without any luck at all. I think this junk actually makes mites healthier.

After looking through some of my 20-30 year old books, I ran across the No-Pest-Strip solution and thought that I would look into it a bit... before subjecting my Chuck to any treatment.

Here's a description of what I was told to do by a fellow "herper".

1) Remove everything from the cage, and clean thoroughly.

2) Cut a No-Pest-Strip in half and place it in a coffee can with the lid on and air holes punched through the top and sides.

3) Place into cage with animal for 24 hours, then remove for 24 hours. I was told that these strips, if left in longer will cause serious kidney damage and death.

4) Repeat this "cycle" for up to 2 weeks to kill any unhatched eggs. Also, give a 3-4 day break after the second exposure.

My question to you guys is this... Have any of you tried this, if so any tips or words of warning/advice would be greatly appreciated. My Chuck is suffering greatly from these pests, and is not eating at all. I want to prevent them from spreading to the rest of my collection as well.

Thanks,
-Kory

Hi!
This was told to me by Tom Greb a long time ago, and it worked beautifully. As always, if I miss remembered details and you are out there, Tom, please correct me.
Lather the Chuckwalla with olive oil or vegetable oil and place it in a cardboard shoebox overnight. The mites will abandon the animal and burrow into the cardboard for refuge from the oil. Next day, scrub the Chuckwalla with a warm bath, maybe even a little mild soap (just this once), and a toothbrush. Preferably not the one You use! LOL. Discard the box right away, and re-install the Chuckwalla in a clean terrarium

Good luck!

I'll give that a try, my only concern is that the mites have "bored" under the scales on the back of the neck, and as I massage more and more eventually come out. They have also gotten into his eyes as well which causes him to keep them closed quite a bit.

Anything is worth a try. I really don't like the idea of placing harsh pesticides in the cage, but fear that this will eventually need to be done. Poor little guy, he was doing so well, now he's just miserable.

When I caught him he was skin and bones, within 2 months he looked like a prize winner, now he is loosing everything so fast. I feel that this is all my fault... as I didn't use my regular precautions for cleaning rocks introduced into his cage... My bad.

Thanks for the alternative treatment idea, I will definetly try that before using any pesticides.

P.S. How long is too long to leave olive oil on him?

Thanks,
-Kory

I was told just overnight. Is you cage made of wood? If so, the mites will be there, too! Hopefully the oil treatment will give him some relief, and maybe someone else will answer your pest stip question.

Yeah, the cage is wood. That will be treated with pest strips for 10 days double strength while the Chuck is placed in a smaller 2X4X3 enclosure after being treated with the method you described.

I hope that the olive oil works !! I'm really excited about trying it out. If your method does not work out, he will be treated 1/2 strength with pest strips as I mentioned in the original post.

I found a couple of places... reputable places, that were quite helpful with how to use the strips safely. It seems that these strips were the first choice in eliminating mites many years ago.

Thanks for the help!! I'll post the results as soon as I have some. I also want to post some pics of my Chucks. Mr. Chuckles & Giggles.
I'll let you guess which one is younger!

-Kory

Large wood cages are very problematic unless you can seal them. I believe pest strips with all todays regulations are not as effective as they used to be. There used to be a product out called Provent-a-mite. It is an insecticde spray made for reptiles. There were reports of problems with it killing some small insectivorous lizards. I have used this product cautiously even with baby chucks with great results. What I will do is completely clean out the cage. Spray the bootom of the cages thuroughly then cover with newspaper. DO NOT USE POROUS MATERIAL IN THE CAGE. Mites can hide in any little pore. Make the cage very simple! I used the tops to plastic sweater boxes propped up on a non porous rock as hides for about a month. Clean the cage completely weekly and re-treat during this month long period. I also sparay the bottom sides of any of the hides. This worked great. Then after a month set up as normal. If you use any of the old rocks I would soak them for this month in a mild bleach water solution. I have a ton of stock tanks so I just put them outside and fill them and throw the rocks in for at least a few days. I keep them in usually the whole month of treatment but some people do not have this option-try at least 2-3 days if you can. DO NOT REUSE ANY WOOD HIDES IN THE CAGE THROW THEM OUT! Mites are a pain in the a$$.

Good Luck
Tom

I forgot to say that Maureen is absolutely correct but that treat ment is pretty much for amller simpler cages like I use. In a large complicated enclosure I suggest the provent-a-mite method.

Thanks Tom! I'll look for the provent-a-mite treatment, and plan to set up a simple cage that can be treated for a while. Maybe I'll pick up an aquarium for the time being. I also use bleach to treat rocks, however I was lazy and am now paying the price... or I should say Mr. Chuckles and I are paying the price.

I always seal my cages with a water base lacquer similar to Diamond Finish. It is poured onto the wood and creates a plastic-like finish. I also use liquid nails to seal any joints while I am constructing a cage. I later cut the excess off with a razor, then seal it with latex bathtub sealer. It's a long process, but these cages could hold water!

Anyway, thanks for the tips, and I might just have a little bit of Italian food tonight with the Chuck !

-Kory

just go ahead and treat them in their permanent cage just clean it out and keep it simple as I mentioned in it until the mites are gone. No need to go purchase an aquarium. Sounds like a good cage. Tom

It's quite safe for the reptile and everything used in the enclosure. Of course I have only used on red chiggers that some wild caught lizards come with, never had snake type mites to deal with , but this stuff is very safe.
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PHEve / Eve

Well the olive oil worked extremely well!! I used a cotten pad, soaked it, and coated the Chuck. I noticed that many were coming off while applied the oil... so, I figured I'd see how many I could get off this way.

I quickly found that if I applied the olive oil fairly thick against the scales followed by a wipe with the scales that it would unload the mites by the dozen... hundreds !!

After doing this, cleaning the cage, and washing the Chuck down, I placed a No-Pest-Strip into the cage. I left it in there overnight. This morning I examined Mr. Chuckles and didn't see a single mite on him.

I'll continue this treatment for a while until I am certain that the mites have all been eliminated.

Thanks for the help,
-Kory

P.S. He actually ate on his own this morning as well.. Yippie!!